These games we play
by Mitsuki the wolf girl
Summary: What could a bookworm and someone rotted inside possibly know about love? Do they know it can often bloom in the coldest of hearts and blossom in the strangest of places? Probably not. But in a whirlwind adventure of love these two are sure to find out.
1. Trespassing

"_This just really isn't fair, Professor! I know its 'universal tolerance' day but…him? _Really?_" – Hermione Granger._

_A/N – I am not used to writing third person omnipresent. Bear with me._

These Games We Play – Chapter one.

The T.V. was beginning to grate on his nerves. He didn't usually concern himself with what went on downstairs but on that particular occasion he was irritated. He wanted to yell, and scream, and snap. But he knew better than that. So instead he stayed up stairs like an obedient child, completely quite, scribbling on the paper called 'The Daily Prophet.' Childishly he was drawing a mustache on the face of the person honored the front page, more out of boredom than resentment, not the he didn't hate him. He did. But right now his father was holding a 'meeting' downstairs and he was told to be quiet, which meant he couldn't listen to music, or destroy things like he typically enjoyed doing.

Just a few more months until he could use magic outside of school. He hated having to hide everything, not that his father didn't have enough pull with the Ministry to get him out of trouble if he 'accidently' cast the occasional spell. He gave up on his artistic attempts and tossed his pencil at the wall, irritated. He pulled open his window and climbed outside, being careful not to slip on the tilted roof. He allowed himself to slide down to the drain pipe and carefully lowered himself onto the ivy below. He attempted not to slip as he climbed down the tightly woven ivy and jumped down to the well manicured grass below.

He let out a sigh. "Finally." He mumbled, dashing off towards the front gate. He wondered how long it would take his parents to realize he was gone. Or if they would even care when they did realize. He frowned. What did he care if they cared or not? He didn't. He pushed his way through the wrought iron gate in front of the sprawling mansion and stepped onto the pavement below. It was as if the world had come to life before him. Suddenly he was on a crowded street sprawling with cars. Not far away was a shopping center and then a neighborhood of cookie cutter houses. The mansion behind him couldn't be viewed by typical muggle eyes all they saw was a forest and anyone unlucky enough to attempt to venture into the woods would have their memories automatically whipped.

He began walking down the street as if he hadn't just appeared out of nowhere. His shoes were leather and making an irritating squeaking noise against the hot London pavement. He glanced around wondering what the best way to waste time in muggle London would be. Typically, he hated muggles with a passion and would head straight for Diagon Alley but today he felt like running away and that's just what he was going to do. He would be less conspicuous in the shopping center so he bee lined toward it.

It was a crowded center with two shoe stores, one restaurant and countless department stores with clothing hanging in the glass windows, and finally on the far end of the complex sat an old lonely pub. He dipped into the bar and took a seat on the end in a corner booth. The woman wandering around taking orders stopped at his table and gave him a wide, charming smile. "Ello' sweetheart" She said in thick accent. He tried to ignore her cleavage pouring out of her black shirt. "Can I get you something? An ale? Or our famous Killigan tea?" He frowned at her. He liked to think he looked older than he was but truthfully to any observant person it would be easy to tell he wasn't of drinking age. Was she testing him?

"No thanks" He waved it off "Just a Coke." He said. His own accent wasn't half as thick and wild as hers. She winked at him, scribbled his order, and wandered off. She must have been new. While he waited he tapped his pale fingers on the wood table before him observing the people around him. They were all vastly different but none looked half as suspicious as some of the fellows he ran into in Diagon Alley on a good day so he didn't take them into much account.

Until his eyes lay upon a pair in the opposite corner from him. He could hardly recognize them through the fog of cigarette smoke in the place but the sandy blonde hair and stark black hair was nearly impossible to miss. He clenched his fist and prayed for the first time in his life that he could just disappear. It just had to be _them._ Of all the people at the elite school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, known as Hogwarts, it HAD to be the two people he despised the most sitting opposite in the bar.

A fleeting thought of making a run for it hit him, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. The waitress sat his Coke before him, ignoring his tense expression, and wandered off. He strained his ears to hear what they were discussing but with the obnoxiously loud merry men around him it was impossible. He needed to get closer. In an attempt to be discreet he followed a rather large man towards the door, plopping into a booth behind the pair without being discovered and leaving his Coke abandoned. He didn't want it anyway.

From the table before him he could hear light giggles. "Yeah, he really was angry about it. I've had to hear his complaints nearly all summer! I don't know what he expects me to say to him. I mean, Ginny is her own person after all, if she wants to snog you, I can't stop her." There was a deeper laugh then.

"I just hope he doesn't stay mad." Was the answer her comment received. The one talking didn't seem very positive. They must have been speaking of the youngest Weasly boy. He shuddered in annoyance. If there were three people on this earth he hated most it was Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasly.

"He's been angry at you before and it didn't last too long. Just give him some time and he will come around" She answered.

"I hope your right. Let's get out of here, it's getting crowded." The pair stood up to leave and he panicked. He had never been one to hide before but he found himself ducking under the table in an attempt to not be spotted. It must have worked because they went passed him and exited the pub. He stood, determined suddenly, to follow them.

He kept a wide distance between himself and the pair, one boy and one girl, one black haired and one blonde. Whenever they would turn towards each other he would busy himself at looking somewhere either to the left or right of himself and pretending he didn't know they existed. Maybe he could do the dark lord a favor and kill Harry Potter right there on the streets of London? He fingered the wand in his pocket, tempted, but made no further move. If he made the wrong move he had no interest in being reprimanded for it later. So instead he tailed them, keeping low until they entered a house not too far away from the shopping complex.

It was a cookie cutter house with a mailbox with the name 'Granger' engraved in the side. A small compact car sat in the driveway and a picket fence separated it from the street. It was a middle class house and had no traces of magic around it. Surly the bookworm girl would have some type of defense? But he found none. He hopped over the gate and snuck around to the back of the house. The fence that enclosed the backyard wasn't locked and he gained easy access.

Wild vegetation enclosed the yard and hid it from the neighbors. Nearly four prim, bright gardens lined the edges of the fence and the glass screen door leading into the house was left unlocked. Against his better judgment, he pulled the door open as quietly as possible, and stepped inside. The house was cute and colorful, well kept and clean, much different from the musky dark mansion he was used to staying in. The place felt kind and comfortable, a feeling that made him uneasy. He could hear voices wafting from the upstairs. He headed up silently in hopes that they would spill some vital information he could offer to the Dark Lord.

He never once thought about what he was doing. It wasn't hard to find the girls door. It was wooden with a poster of Matilda Hawthorne on the front. She was a popular wizard chemist and writer, beautiful to boot. The picture didn't do her justice. The door was thin and he didn't even need to lean in to be able to hear what they were saying.

"No, my parents don't get home until five." The girl said. Her voice was slightly strained, as if she were frustrated.

"Well maybe we could play a game of chess" The boy joked. "It seems like a stupid idea to discuss anything important…though rather here than my house."

"Yeah, I don't know how much more of your cousin I can take." She giggled again. The sound rang like bells.

"It's not my fault he thinks you're the most amazing and beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on. Besides his mother." They both roared laughing. He frowned. He couldn't bear listening to this. He wasn't even sure it was typical behavior considering he had never had a 'friend' he gave a rat's ass about. Just people he used and controlled with fear like Crab and Goyle. Technically, he hated those buffoons. But they were a necessity so he kept them around. Maybe if he hadn't grown up in a home with a famous Death Eater he would know what friendship entailed, but considering he had and he didn't he found their conversation nauseating.

Once the laughing had subsided they changed subjects "I hear that Tonks and Lupin are going to have a child. Are you excited?" He frowned. Tonks the shape shifter woman was his cousin and as estranged as his family was from hers there was a black mark on the family name when it came to her marriage with Remus Lupin the werewolf.

"I'm going to be its godfather."

"Harry…I" But there was nothing she could have said. And so the conversation died. He stood up to leave, bored. But the minute he reached the edge of the stairs the front door swung open and a woman stepped in. She bore a striking resemblance to Hermione and her emerald eyes landed on him for the faintest second.

And then she screamed.

He opened his mouth to protest without thinking that he should have made a run for it but it was too late. The bedroom door behind him swung open and upon laying eyes upon the stranger in her house Hermione ripped out her wand, directed it towards him and yelled "Stupefy."

"Malfoy?" His enemy questioned just before the attack hit him.

His world went black.

A bout of nausea hit him as the effects of the stupefy charm wore off. He expected to wake up in jail be it wizard or muggle for breaking and entering but instead he was on a worn sofa covered in orange flowers. He groaned. Where was he? The same clean, comfortable feeling enveloped him. He must have still been in Grangers house.

He sat up, his head spinning with the room, and glanced around. From what he could tell there wasn't anyone in the room with him but the voices weren't far off. "No, sir. I promise you she was just startled. I actually invited the boy over for a cup of tea. It won't happen again." It was a woman's voice. One he didn't recognize.

"Yes I am truly sorry. He just took me by surprise and I…panicked." Hermione defended her underage use of magic.

"Fine." Someone snorted. "But if this happens two more times, you know what the consequences will be" the voice was deep, gruff and angry.

"Yes of course." She said. Then the older woman's voice bid the man goodbye and he heard the door close. If he felt like he could have stood up without losing the contents of his stomach he would have taken off but he could hardly sit up. 'That girl packs one hell of a defense spell' He noted. Inevitable the three people poured into the living room, all looking oddly confused, and staring him down.

"I see your awake" The woman said, obviously Hermione's mother. He didn't say anything. He had been caught and he was in SO much trouble. His father would probably have him killed for this. And no, that's not a joke.

"What were you doing _in my house_ Draco?" Hermione spat, venom playing in her green eyes. He was a little taken aback by her hostility. He thought she was a pushover but she was proving him different.

"Spying" Harry answered for him, standing protectively close to Hermione.

"Why?" She asked glancing at Harry and cutting Draco completely out of the conversation. "It's not like he was being entirely stealthy about it." She added. "You could have given my mother a heart attack!" She said suddenly, turning back to face him. His platinum hair hung in his face. They were being oddly calm. If he were anyone else he probably would have apologized but never, ever would he apologize to Granger the Mudblood. Ever.

He puffed his chest out defensively "You know why!" He snapped his voice sharp "Because you-know-who commanded me too. Why didn't you just kill me?" It was a stupid question "Or turned me over to the authorities." Why did they allow him to rest in their living room, the one he had broken into, and then covered for him with the Ministry?

"You have no reason to be defensive, Malfoy. You're the one breaking into people's houses. How did you even get in here?" Hermione asked. Her face was almost impassive.

"The door was unlocked." He said, realizing that if he told the truth they may just let him leave without any trouble.

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances then said 'whoops' in unison. The mother looked at them, clearly angry. "Sorry mom. I guess we forgot to lock it when we came in…" Hermione trailed off.

Draco blinked, confused. Were they all mad? He had BROKEN INTO THEIR HOUSE for god's sake! Why weren't they calling the authorities, yelling at him, something! This was no time for them to argue amongst themselves. "Well, if that's all settled then I will just be going" He said, standing up. He took one step forward and hit the ground again; his knees felt more like jelly than anything.

"God" Hermione snapped "Help me get him back on the couch. And for your information, Draco, this is why we didn't turn you in. I hit you with a little more power than I meant too." She said as Harry grabbed him roughly under the arms and dropped him back onto the couch.

"Damnit Potter" He growled as his world began swimming again. "So what are you going to do to me?" He asked. He expected disembowelment, torture, or at least a nice slap across the face. Maybe they were just waiting for her father to get home so he could issue Draco's punishment? Whatever it was the waiting was going to drive him insane. His fate felt very uncertain.

"I think you got all you had coming to you" The mother intervened before Harry had time to give Draco a verbal ass kicking. "You didn't hear anything that you couldn't find in the next issue of 'Teen scene magazine' did you?" She gave him a questioning look. He just stared at her because he had no idea what she was talking about. "I didn't think so" She said with a smirk.

"But I suggest you don't try that again. Where did you even find this place? Did you follow us from the pub?" Hermione opened a torrent of questions.

"Yes" He answered, flatly. There was no use making things up. If he wasn't more afraid of his father than he was of these two he would have used his magic to get him out of this mess. But he was, so he didn't. He just sat on the couch with a flabbergasted expression plastered to his stark white face staring into the eyes of two of his enemies.

Her frown deepened. Harry was just regarding him with a guarded expression, shaking his head. "You were lying when you said the dark lord sent you, weren't you?" She asked suddenly, her expression shifting from irritation to slight fear.

"Yes." He stated again. He wouldn't explain his own warped motives to her. It would have been pointless anyway.

"As soon as you can stand properly, I think you should go." She said.

"With pleasure." It took all the strength he could muster but he fought the urge to throw up and pass out and instead made his way towards the front door. He walked in between Harry and Hermione.

On his way out Harry mumbled "see you at school" which sounded more like a threat than anything and like a whipped dog, Malfoy slunk into the shadows and headed home, humiliated, defeated and feeling oddly…grateful.

For what though, he wasn't quite sure.


	2. Circumstance

"_You know if I had a dollar for as many brains as you don't have I would use it to buy duck tape and shut your big, fat mouth! Imbecile." – Draco Malfoy. _

_A/N – The quotes do have points. I promise. Hermione's quotes are on Draco's chapters and the opposite is true for Draco's quotes._

These Games We Play – Chapter Two.

The sun shone through the window and clung to their black cloaks causing an unusually warm day to become a painstakingly hot one in a matter of minutes. They were in one of the first booths, the two of them, sitting across from each other. Hermione had a glaze of sweat on her forehead from the heat "So if you could just keep the snogging to a minimum it would make my life a lot easier" She was saying. In that regard Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for his best friend. She did have to put up with Ron's complaints about Harry and Ron's little sister, Ginny's new relationship.

"We don't snog that often. He is just being overdramatic" Harry said, rolling his bright green eyes. Hermione's own hazel ones regarded him.

"No, he is doing what any protective brother would." Harry frowned. She had a valid point.

"Damn" He said, defeated. "Alright. We will keep it to a minimum. Around Ron, anyway" He smirked at her and she reached forward to slap him on the arm. Harry was the only people she ever felt completely comfortable around and knew she could be herself without worrying about what he would think of her.

"You need to be more sympathetic towards him and me. I'm the one who has to hear all about you and Ginny's little 'adventures'" She air quoted the word.

"That I can truly be sorry about, Hermione" He said, honestly.

"That makes me feel a little better, I guess" She said, shifting her position on the train booth. The rattling of the cart was making her uncomfortable and she was ready to be off the train and back into the safety of the castle. Summer had been an eventful one and she almost relished Hogwarts. To her it was, for the most part, a fairly stress free environment. She could see the rising castle in the distance.

"Where is Ron, anyway?" Harry asked, gazing absently at the sparkling lake outside the window.

"I don't know. Probably with Ginny and Luna. I saw them talking before we boarded earlier." She answered. She was just happy to be free of him for a while. She liked Ron, he was one of her best friends, but this Harry/Ginny thing was becoming insufferable. If she had to hear one more thing about it she would probably pull out a lock of her curly hair.

"Oh" He said. Then allowed the conversation to die and went back to gazing out the window. It didn't take much longer for them to arrive at the castle and before she knew it they were seated at Grypindor table in the Great Hall. The sky was partly cloudy today and the ceiling reflected it beautifully. The Headmaster was greeting the teachers and the whole hall was filled with excited chatter. "I really missed this place" Harry mumbled to where she could hear him.

"Me too." She agreed. Neville sat to her left and Harry sat across from her, the seat on each side of him saved for Ron his best friend and Ginny his girlfriend. To her right was an empty seat that she assumed Luna would eventually fill. Hermione didn't like Luna, per say, but Harry did and she had helped them out on a number of occasions. So Hermione thought it best to tolerate her. The Headmaster made the typical announcements (for the seventh year in a row they had a new defense against the dark arts teacher.) This one looked sleazy and creepy. He had weird silted eyes and deathly pale skin; his teeth were bleach white and his deep crimson hair stuck up in all directions.

His eyes were blood red.

Half the room shuddered upon laying eyes on him. Hermione was probably the only one who knew he was a Vampire upon looking at him. His name was professor BloodRing. Typical. After the introductions Professor Dumbledore released them to their common rooms and Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way up to Gryffindor tower. It felt good to be back in her own dorm room. Not that she didn't enjoy being at home but there was a comfort Hogwarts provided that her home just couldn't. Something about the deep red and gold colors and decorations, the cold stone walls and familiar people were just so nostalgic to her.

After she had settled in she made her way back down to the common room. Ron was telling Harry an animated story when she stepped into the conversation. He didn't regard her and continued, flailing his arms "And he just _walked away_" He said, as if it were the most unexpected thing. Harry looked dumbstruck, as if he didn't know how to respond.

"That is strange" He said, glancing in Hermione's direction and giving her a 'run while you still have a chance' look. It was too late. Ron had already turned to face her, a broad smile on his face and a look of triumph as well.

"Hermione! You will never guess what just happened!" He said. She gave him a smile. She was curious enough to ask.

"I'm sure you will tell me. " She said, teasing him. He frowned a little but continued anyway.

"I just ran into Draco Malfoy" He said. As if they knew so many Draco's. "His friend, the big one, made some stupid comment about me" 'Goyle' Hermione thought. "And I told Draco he needed to keep his dogs quiet. I expected him to snap at me or something but he just got this weird look on his face and walked off. It was priceless." He was laughing now, giddily. Hermione's face paled. It might have been coincidence but she couldn't help thinking that Draco's sudden submission was due to their awkward encounter over the summer where he had broken into her home and they had let him go free with a warning.

Maybe he had some humility in him after all. She just smiled "Well, congratulations" She said, not knowing what else to say to him. Harry eyed her wearily. He knew what she was thinking. This year suddenly got awkward. She didn't want to remember that weird encounter and was attempting to pretend that it never happened but if Malfoy was going to act differently because of it that was going to be impossible. And eventually people would notice his strange behavior. He was probably getting hell right now from his two minions Crab and Goyle. She took a seat beside Harry and picked at her fingernails. She wanted to sleep but at the same time was too excited. Classes started tomorrow. New teachers, new classes and more things to learn. She smiled to herself.

She couldn't help but love Hogwarts for that very reason.

The morning came earlier than expected and the other girls in her room were up before dawn dressing and priming themselves for the day. Hermione was a little bit slower and took her time packing her bag with rational thought and trying to route the quickest way from one class to another. Harry shared most of her classes but Ron was stuck in a few from last year because of his blatant refusal to take his schoolwork seriously. A point Hermione was quick to chastise him about at any given opportunity.

She headed downstairs after dressing in order to grab a quick bite to eat. Harry and Ron weren't anywhere around so she went alone, which was rare for her, she was almost always with one of them or one of her female companions. She turned the corner to the Great Hall and collided with someone moving in the same direction. They both went crashing to the floor. "Oomph" She said as her behind hit the stone with force. Once she had recovered she looked at the person she had run into and wondered why the people around her were 'ooohing' and 'ahhhing' at them.

She found herself staring into the gray eyes of Draco Malfoy. The Slytherins around him were all laughing at her expense and waiting for his witty rebuttal. He himself looked like she had just slapped him, slightly fearful. It was obvious enough that whatever he was about to do it wouldn't be to call her a mudblood which he so often enjoyed doing. Instead he stood, brushed himself off, shot a deadly glare at the people around him and walked past her as if she didn't even exist. The others followed him with wide eyes, some regarding her with angry expressions. She attempted to ignore the people staring at her as she made her way through the cafeteria. They acted as if she had just warranted her own death. Malfoy wasn't that scary, was he?

She had always just thought of him as a minor annoyance compared to people like Voldemort. Sure the mudblood comments hurt and she grew tired of his attitude but he wasn't anything to cause chills in her bones or her hair to stand on end. To her, he was nothing more than a schoolyard bully, claiming dominance through fear.

She sat down and grabbed a piece of toast but soon the whispers and stares at her expense became too much and she headed off to class instead. Her first two classes were uneventful. Seventh year Transfiguration and Advance level potions classes weren't anything she was worried about or looking forward too. It was her 'Defense against the dark arts' class that really worried her. Could they really have employed a Vampire to teach at Hogwarts? I mean sure, Lupin had been a previous teacher and had been a werewolf but at least he was only a werewolf once a month whereas vampires craved blood every day of their lives.

Harry caught her in the hallway "Are you alright?" He asked her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She said.

He shrugged "Some people were talking about how you ran into Malfoy in the cafeteria this morning." He said. Why was everyone making such a big deal out of it? They wouldn't even be bothered if he had yelled at her or made some snarky comment. It was his silence that had everyone worked up.

"People can be so stupid. Nothing happened, I ran into him, he didn't say anything. It was an accident." She said as they walked side by side down the hallway.

"How long do you think that will last?" Harry asked, sounding as if he planned to make full use of Malfoy's embarrassment.

"Not long I imagine. We will do something to make him angry and he will be normal again." She said. They reached the door to Defense against the dark arts. "Is it just me or does that teacher creep you out?" She asked as she lingered in front of the door.

"It's me too." Harry assured her before opening the door and stepping inside. Unfortunately there were already a number of students there, none willing to sit close to the front which meant that the only vacant seats were up near the teacher's desk. Hermione groaned internally. A group of Slytherins pushed past Harry and Hermione and filled up the remaining desks, leaving only two. This time it was Harry who groaned.

"Take a seat" The teacher bellowed, eyeing them both. They scrambled to do as they were told and in the frenzy Hermione ended up sitting in between Harry and Malfoy. Things could not have been anymore awkward. She managed to scoot her chair as close to Harry as the desk would allow but there was still less than five inches between Malfoy and herself. She had never felt more uncomfortable in her life.

It was made worse by the teacher who emanated an evil type of feeling. The class went by painstakingly slow. Harry and Hermione passed notes about how they couldn't have been placed in worse seats. Hermione begged him to switch with her but she knew that would be a worse idea. If Harry and Draco sat next to each other they would probably attempt to kill each other under the desk. At the moment Draco was completely ignoring the pair. He was ridged in his seat. The others were jarring at the teachers trying to get a rise off of him. Typical slytherin. Hermione wished they would just shut up.

Towards the end of the class the teacher was reviewing the lesson, a very practical one about defense. When Crab flicked a spit ball in his direction, landing in his crimson hair. The class had mixed reactions. Some laughed and some gasped at his audacity. They all waited to see what the teacher would do. Calmly he reached up and pulled the spit wad out of his hair and flicked it at the floor. "Ah, good aim" He said, turning his gaze to Crab "Though I wish if you had something to say to me you would express it in words and not childish pranks."

He was completely calm. As if to him a fly had just hit him rather than a spit wad. He strode forward as Crab laughed at him and leaned down into his face, less than a breath away. Draco who was sitting beside Crab tensed at the Vampires closeness and Hermione tensed as well because subconsciously Draco was moving closer to her in order to escape the teachers range. "I think you need to learn a lesson" He spoke, his voice a whisper. The whole class was silent. He leaned closer until Crab was practically in the floor "The dark arts are not the only thing you should fear. There are things out there, hidden and secret, that are far, far more relentless, deadly and rotten than black magic." He said, flashing his fangs. "And should you interrupt my class again, I will show you some of them. Now. Get. Out." He spat the last few words and the whole class scrambled from their feet and out the door practically tripping over each other.

"I think I might learn to like our defense teacher" Harry said as they headed up to the common room. It was mid afternoon and she only had one class left. Transfiguration with McGonagall.

"I don't think Crab will show up again." Hermione said, more hopeful than anything. If Crab was gone Draco could move over and they wouldn't have to sit by each other. Hermione wished she could stop thinking about him. She couldn't help remembering hitting him with the stupefy spell and knocking him down the stairs during the summer. Some part of her enjoyed the revenge but another part suddenly felt that she was just as bad as he was because of what she had done. Some part of her was guilty.

She shook her blonde locks out "I just remember I forgot something, I will see you in the common room" She said, spinning on her heels and running back the way she had come. Harry didn't bother following her. She pushed the wooden door open lightly and peaked in. The classroom seemed empty. "Pardon me? Mr. um…BloodRing?" She glanced both ways before deciding to come back again later.

"Can I help you Miss Granger?" The voice came from behind her and she whirled around. The teacher decked out in all back stood less than a few inches from her. His breath smelled weird.

She blinked and backed up a few paces. "Hello, sir. I was wondering if maybe I could switch seats in your class?" She knew it was a long shot because most teachers didn't bother with seating charts but she couldn't stand sitting by Malfoy for the rest of the year. He squinted at her, his eyebrows furrowing.

"You have a problem with your classmates?" He asked. She hadn't noticed before but he had an American accent.

"Um..yes, can we talk inside?" She asked, feeling oddly as if she were being watched.

"Sure, sure, come on in" He sidestepped her to allow her access into his classroom. He headed over to his desk and took a seat, waving his hand across the room. The door shut on it's own. "Now tell me what the problem is, Miss Granger" He said, leaning back into his cushioned chair.

"He is kind of…an enemy of me and the boy who sits beside me, the black haired one" She said.

"Harry Potter" He said, a knowing twinkle in his red eyes. She felt a blush creep up her face.

"Yeah, Harry. The boy beside me with the blonde hair though doesn't like me. He has been known on occasions to call me a mudblood" She gripped her knuckles until they were white. "I don't know how to explain it" She said, trailing off.

"I see. We'll Miss Granger sometimes the ones we like the least turn out to be the ones who help us the most. If he bothers you I will be sure to intervene but I don't see the pain in giving him a chance, do you?" He seemed so rational to her. Much more than a blood sucking monster like they are described in the books.

"Yes, professor" She said. He frowned.

"Please. In the classroom, its professor but what most students forget is that us teachers actually have and sometimes prefer our first names" He said. She must have looked flabbergasted. This man was nothing like she expected him to be. "It's Takanari, by the way, Hermione." How old was he? He just sounded childish. But despite that she laughed.

"Nice to meet you Takanari." She stood up to leave "I'm probably going to be late for Transfiguration. See you in class" She turned on her heels and strode out of the room.

"Have a nice afternoon" He mumbled as the door swung shut behind her. Harry was standing outside the Transfiguration class with a troubled look on his face. She blinked when she reached him but he didn't immediately offer an explanation.

"We might have a problem" He said.

"What kind of…" She knew what kind of problem the minute she walked into the classroom. A large banner hung in the front of the room that read 'Universal Tolerance day.' She couldn't hardly walk forward when she met eyes with McGonagall. She was talking to a group of Hufflepuff students who were as enraged at the idea as she was horrified.

"Students please, line up in the front of the room" McGonagall snapped. All the students lingering in the back of the classroom shuffled forward with a collective groan. She held up a chart with all four houses and students belonging to that house written on it. "This is Universal tolerance day" She began, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "It is now mostly a dead celebration but I still think it is a necessary idea for seventh years. Up until now you have been competing with the other houses but once you leave these walls you are going to need to be able to work together with everyone, even people who hate each other previously are often thrust into situations together. So for this year in this class you will be paired up with a member of a different house, the one you compete with the most, and you will be forced to work together for the rest of the year. In the end the ones who work together the best will win the most house points." She said.

Once she had silenced all the arguments that erupted because of her idea she began pairing people off. Naturally Harry and Ron were stuck with Crab and Goyle. Cho Chang ended up with Ginny ironically enough and eventually the only two left in the room were Hermione and Draco. She rolled her eyes. 'How could this have happened?'

"Hermione and Mr. Malfoy seems like you two are the only left. Please everyone pick a workstation and take a seat." Hermione confronted the teacher while pairs competed over the desks.

"This just really isn't fair, Professor! I know its 'universal tolerance' day but…him? _Really_?" She eyed Malfoy discreetly as she whispered. McGonagall just stared at her impassively.

"I'm sorry Hermione, it's just how things worked out." She said "Please take your seat" By the tone of her voice Hermione knew the matter was finalized. Reserved she made her way over to the desk Malfoy was leaning against while talking to his sneering minions who were whining about being stuck with 'Potter and Weaslebee.' She rolled her eyes, already irritated. This was going to be a ridiculously long year.

"At least you didn't get stuck with the mudblood" Draco snapped at the pair of boys. Apparently he was back to his old self. She sneered at him.

"The feelings mutual, Malfoy" She said, pulling out her chair and sitting down in a huff. The other students finally settled down and Malfoy took his place in the seat beside her. He didn't look at her, didn't talk to her and made damn sure not to touch her the whole time. She sighed. Good thing she didn't really care about one hundred and fifty points in cooperation house points anyway.

Later that evening she sat in the common room between Harry and Ron on the red velvet couch. They were just as worked up about McGonagall class as she was. "I mean who does she think she is sticking me with CRAB of all people? That guy makes me so angry" Ron roared, worked into a tizzy.

"I feel sorry for Hermione. She is stuck with Draco" Harry said, giving her a sympathetic look.

"I don't care. We won't win the points but I hope to make some kind of headway with him by the end of the year. I don't intend to have a bad grade due to Draco's bad attitude." She huffed. Something wasn't right here, she found herself thinking.

Either fate was particularly cruel or she and Malfoy were destined to work together.

The question though was _'why.'_

A/n – A lot of line breaks in this chapter, usually I don't like them but they were necessary. It's not a trend that will continue. No worries. This is set kind of AU in time. Dumbledore is still alive, obviously but he isn't a huge part. This is a romance, not an action, so keep that in mind. Also, if I misspell something, please don't let it offend you. Send me a review and I will correct whatever it is. I don't have my books for reference. Read, Review, and remember NO FLAMES.


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